


Rewards for Saving the World

by HighMermaid



Category: Original Work
Genre: Child Soldiers, Magical Girls, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, just another darkfic about magical girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26997193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighMermaid/pseuds/HighMermaid
Summary: There is rarely a happy ending to being a child soldier, even one with a cute outfit and fun magical powers.
Kudos: 3





	Rewards for Saving the World

**Author's Note:**

> I’m certainly not the first and doubt I’ll be the last to have sad commentary about magical girls.

The road to self destruction is paved with enthusiasm and naivety.

(Not exactly hard to talk a child into accepting superpowers, is it?)

You could die fighting the monsters, forever unknown as the hero you were. Another unsolved disappearance. A picture on a supermarket wall for the next 20 years with a sketch that says “artist rendition of what they may look like now” next to a high school picture. Or maybe a mangled cold case found in a park or alleyway. 

(A cautionary tale of why kids shouldn’t wander off alone)

Perhaps you live long enough for the power to fade into almost uselessness, and since your entire teenage years were defined by fighting monsters you generally aren’t very good at normal life. Even if you manage to play at normal, you’ll always know, and the side effects can be nasty. Trauma you will never come to terms with.

(Can’t tell a soul, do you want to sound crazy?)

You run into danger before you think. You forget you aren’t as durable, that you don’t heal as quickly as before. You forget you can’t summon a weapon with a thought, that you aren’t fast enough to dodge a bullet. That you can’t just throw up a shield to keep danger at bay.

(‘Woman dies while trying to jump gunman’)

Of course you can cling to it, try to find ways to keep the power. But do you really think holding desperately onto something that’s supposed to fade ends well? It twists and tangles body and mind, vining around and constricting your heart, a wriggling mass of tainted magic.

(An ever hungry bringer of destruction)

Death. 

Paranoia.

Recklessness.

Corruption.

(Congratulations, you saved the world!)

**Author's Note:**

> I do love magical girls, they’re generally fun to read or watch, but growing up certainly makes you think about the trauma these girls would be feeling realistically.
> 
> There have been dark undertones in magical girl stories longer than a lot of people think, tho many were introduced thru Madoka. Madoka just brought it to the forefront more than others.
> 
> I do think recognizing the child soldier aspect really does one on us as adults.


End file.
